Ojha spins Deccan Chargers to victory (Lead)

Durban, April 25 (IANS) Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha’s three-wicket burst triggered a turnaround as Deccan Chargers romped to their third straight win with a 12-run victory over Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League match here Saturday. Deciding to bat, Deccan Chargers withstood a middle-order collapse to set a challenging 169-run target, with Herschelle Gibbs contributing 58.

Mumbai Indians, looking for their second victory in three matches, were on course through skipper Sachin Tendulkar (36) and J.P Duminy’s (40) entertaining knocks before Ojha took three quick wickets (3-21) to bring Deccan Chargers back into the match. Dwayne Bravo (21) and Harbhajan Singh’s (20) late strike could not see the team through.

Deccan Chargers, the bottom placed team in inaugural IPL, thus maintained their winning streak to lead the table with six points.

“It is a bit of surprise for us. We did not have so many points even after playing the entire tournament last year,” said Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist.

Chasing the challenging target, Mumbai Indians lost Sanath Jayasuriya in the second over.

Tendulkar and South Africa’s new batting sensation Duminy played cautiously before stepping up the pace at the right time. They plundered 72 runs off seven overs just before the tactical time out that proved to be Mumbai’s bane.

Tendulkar, who had expressed his reservations about the interruption, was the first to go off Ojha as he mis-hit an inside-out shot straight to Gibbs in the 11th over. He hit three fours and two sixes in his 27-ball innings.

Ojha, who bowled with guile and deception, then rattled Shikhar Dhawan’s stumps as he swung across the line and had Duminy caught at deep midwicket by Smith to leave Mumbai reeling at 92 for four. It was Ojha’s sixth wicket in the tournament after effecting three stumped dismissals at crucial stages in earlier matches.

Abhishek Nayar and Bravo were dismissed by Edwards. Harbhajan slammed two sixes but it was too late in the day.